Guide to Working at Electronic Arts

Published on November 4, 2022

Guide to Working at Electronic Arts was originally published on Forage.

Working at Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, also known as EA, is an American video game company and global leader in the digital interactive entertainment space. The company delivers online services, content, and games — including favorites like The Sims, Apex Legends, EA Sports, and FIFA — to over 600 million fans and gamers across the globe.

Interested in working at EA but want more details on job opportunities, salaries, benefits, and more? In this guide, we cover:

What Is Electronic Arts?

Founded in 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins to create home computer games, EA has grown to become the “world’s largest video game development organization.” In addition to its current headquarters in Redwood City, California, EA operates 38 office locations worldwide. 

EA competes with other big names in the industry, such as Activision, Ubisoft, and Blizzard Entertainment. EA posted a 2021 annual revenue of $5.6 billion and now has nearly 13,000 employees — a more than 15% increase from 2021.

So, what is Electronic Arts? According to EA, “​​Everything we do is designed to inspire the world to play.” The company is devoted to positive play and creating a gaming community that is safe, fun, and fair for everyone.

Electronic Arts Jobs and Salaries

EA fosters an inclusive work environment and looks to hire collaborative, creative, and passionate individuals. If you want to work for the video game giant, these are two of the most well-known teams at Electronic Arts, along with typical salaries for various positions.

EA Technology Team

Seeking to blur the lines between entertainment, games, and reality, EA employs 2,700 technologists who work to bring games and player experiences to life.

As the backbone of Electronic Arts, the technology team ensures the creative team’s ideas come to fruition. EA’s technology team encompasses multiple divisions: Security, Frostbite, IT, Digital Platforms, Production, Infrastructure, and Engineering. 

According to Glassdoor, these are the average salary estimates for specific technology positions at EA: 

  • QA testers average about $106,400 a year.
  • Game developers average about $135,300 a year.
  • Systems engineers average about $146,700 a year.
  • Software engineers average about $168,500 a year. 
  • Senior software engineers average about $203,700 a year.

Tip: If you plan to apply for a future software engineering job or internship position, be sure to learn relevant programming languages and technologies. Already in school? EA recommends specific classes for those looking to work in the gaming industry.

>>MORE: Immerse yourself in engineering with Electronic Arts’ Software Engineering Virtual Experience Program.

EA Studios Team

With more than 20 studios and 6,000 global creators, Electronic Art’s studio team works to create their big-name games through storytelling, game direction, art, audio, design, script, and programming. 

Glassdoor provides the below compensation estimates for positions on this team: 

  • Concept artists average about $108,600 a year. 
  • Technical artists average about $160,800 a year. 
  • Producers average about $137,800 a year.
  • Game designers average about $147,000 a year. 
  • Senior game designers average about $192,700 a year. 

EA Student Internship Opportunities  

Looking to get your foot in the door at EA? Whether a current student or a recent graduate, the company gives early career talent the chance to test drive a role, learn valuable job skills, and jumpstart their career with internships and co-op positions.

EA offers internships across all of its departments and guarantees interns the opportunity to do real work that an EA employee would do. In addition, the company hopes to provide interns with opportunities to become full-time employees following graduation. The recruitment cycle for internships begins four months before the start of the term (e.g., May recruiting for September internships).

Interns are paid at Electronic Arts and receive various benefits, including social events, free games, swag, paid holidays, free onsite gym, speaker series for students, and scholarship opportunities.

On average, past EA interns rated their internship experience at the company 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 98% of interns saying they’d recommend the experience to a friend.

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Electronic Arts Benefits 

Kickstarting a career at Electronic Arts means you’re eligible for some excellent benefits, which EA employees rated 4.3 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor. In addition to pay equity, employee resource groups, and mentorship, here are some of the general benefits you can anticipate as a full-time employee (may vary depending on position):

  • Health and well-being: Besides standard health coverage, EA provides employees with holistic and mental health support.
  • Parental benefits: Eligible employees receive paid caregiver leave and new parent leave.
  • Financial benefits: On top of competitive compensation and bonuses, EA offers employees stock options, employee stock purchase plans, and 401(k) with matching. 
  • Time off: Besides typical paid holidays and vacation time, EA has leave of absence coverage for its employees. 
  • Flexible work policy: EA’s flexible work policy includes remote work for eligible employees.
  • LEAP: The learning, engagement, and performance internal team helps train and develop employees through a variety of training programs. 
  • EA Knowledge: EA Knowledge is an extensive site where EA employees can share valuable knowledge with their peers, including different technologies and tools.
  • More perks: As a company made of and for video game lovers, EA offers gaming console reimbursements and game credits. The company also offers fitness reimbursements to encourage employees to stay active. 

Electronic Arts Culture

The key to finding a satisfying career is discovering your best culture fit. According to Comparably, EA employees rate the company’s culture 4 out of 5 stars, which is a “B” rating and the fourth-ranked in culture scores when compared to competitors. A reported 72% of employees at Electronic Arts are excited to go to work daily.

EA states it’s committed to empowering employees and “building culture through inclusion” by offering resources, inclusion training, and a program called theTEA, which promotes allyship across the company. Overall, EA wants to ensure its employees have the opportunity to feel connected and accepted by their coworkers and peers. 

MIT’s Culture 500 assessed employee reviews to see how employees discuss cultural values at EA: 

  • The most commonly positively discussed value was collaboration, which reflects how well EA employees work together.
  • The most frequently reported negatively discussed quality was agility, which reflects how quickly EA employees respond to market changes and take on new opportunities.

Electronic Arts Commitments 

In addition to employee rankings and reviews, a company’s commitments reflect its priorities and values. These are a few of Electronic Art’s significant commitments: 

  • Positive play: With an established player base, EA is committed to ensuring its community is positive, safe, and fair. The company promotes innovation and uses new patents to create the best community possible. 
  • Strengthening communities: Working to support underrepresented communities, EA has donated $8 million in company grants and gift matching programs to social justice nonprofits and to help communities meet essential post-pandemic needs. 
  • Actions against racial injustice: EA supports and contributes to racial justice organizations, such as Black Girls Code and ACLU. EA donated $1 million to six social justice partners during its annual Play to Give event. 
  • Environment: EA’s Global Green Team of 600 employees is working toward managing the impact of climate change by reducing its game delivery carbon footprint, managing energy and water usage at its offices, and reducing its environmental footprint in the supply chain.

EA vs. Ubisoft 

EA’s main competitors are other global video game creation companies, such as Ubisoft. According to Indeed, this is how EA and Ubisoft compare in several areas: 

  • EA and Ubisoft both have company ratings of 3.8 out of 5 stars. 
  • EA and Ubisoft are tied in ratings for work-life balance. 
  • EA has better ratings in management and compensation, and benefits.
  • Ubisoft has better ratings in job security and advancement, and culture. 
  • 61% of EA employees think they are compensated fairly compared to 52% of Ubisoft employees. 

How Does the EA Interview Process Work?

EA positions are highly competitive, so preparing for the application process is essential. If you’re interested in working at Electronic Arts and plan to apply, you can start by preparing for EA’s remote Zoom interview process.

Different positions and departments within EA have varying interview processes. For example, some interviews may require technical tests, case studies, whiteboard exercises, or additional assessments.

EA is looking for employees who reflect its core values:

So, how did previous candidates view the application process? According to Glassdoor, 54% of EA interviewees submitted applications online, 15% went through a recruiter, and 14% applied through an employee referral. 

As for how their interview experiences went, 61% of interviewees reported a positive interview, and 21% reported a negative interview experience. When asked to rate the difficulty of interviews on a scale of 1 to 5, easiest to hardest, candidates’ overall rating was “average,” 2.8 out of 5 stars.

>>MORE: Comcast’s Unspoken Interview Fundamentals Virtual Experience Program

Takeaways 

  • Electronic Arts is a global video game company determined to inspire its community to play in a positive, empowering space. 
  • Some of EA’s most popular career paths are in tech, engineering, and art and design.
  • EA employees report that collaboration is the most frequently positively discussed value, while agility is the most commonly negatively discussed attribute.
  • 54% of EA interviewees submitted online applications, and 15% of interviewees landed interviews through recruiters. 

Ready to learn about working at other top companies? Check out Forage’s company guides.

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